The Bushes are now engaging in an intense attempt to portray John Kerry
as a candidate with no core principles and one who will change his position
for political gain at the drop of a hat. In essence, they are now claiming
that Kerry is a political opportunist and the quintessential flip-flopper.
Kerry and his supporters, however, may come back with a “Hey, it
takes one to know one!” reply, since it seems Bush has flip-flopped
on the whole gay marriage issue for political advantage. During the 2000
campaign, when Bush was selling his “compassionate conservative” image
to distance himself from the perceived excesses of the Gingrich era,
he claimed that the issue of gay marriage was one which should be left
up to the states. In order to discard the angry and intolerant facade
the Republican party had many times shown to many moderate voters in
America during the 90s, Bush tried to put a “kinder and gentler” (to
use a quote from his father) face on his candidacy to reassure those
in the center. Hence, this explains his initially sensible and magnanimous
position on the controversy regarding same-sex marriages.